Both Dimitroff and Pioli worked with McDaniels in New England. La Canfora suggests Dimitroff and Pioli's futures could be tied to whether or not McDaniels is hired. Rex Ryan is believed to rank high on owner Arthur Blank's candidates list, but obviously has no ties to Dimitroff or Pioli. If Blank opts for Ryan over McDaniels, it could create tension in Atlanta's front office. Jan 4 - 9:27 AM

Patriots OC Josh McDaniels is interviewing for the Falcons' head-coaching vacancy on Friday.

The 49ers will interview him on Saturday. McDaniels seems serious about rejoining the NFL's head-coaching ranks; otherwise, he'd likely spurn interviews and vow to "focus on our team's playoff run." McDaniels knows Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff from their time together in New England. McDaniels had a lot of personnel say during his HC stint in Denver. He wouldn't get that in San Fran. Jan 2 - 2:55 PM

McDaniels is a hot name for coaching vacancies now that the stink has worn off from his two seasons as the Broncos' head coach from 2009-2010 when he composed an 11-17 record. McDaniels will certainly be looking for the perfect fit since he can't afford another mess-up. The next head-coaching job he takes may be his last. In Atlanta, he'd have 2-3 dynamite building blocks in Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and potentially LT Jake Matthews. McDaniels also has a history with GM Thomas Dimitroff and assistant GM Scott Pioli from their New England days. Mon, Dec 29, 2014 06:26:00 PM

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports the 49ers are looking for a young offensive specialist to replace Jim Harbaugh as head coach.

49ers defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was originally believed to be the favorite to replace Harbaugh, but after watching quarterback Colin Kaepernick regress over the course of 2014, San Francisco may look to someone more offensively minded to lead the ship. Mort specifically mentioned Patriots OC Josh McDaniels and Broncos OC Adam Gase as possible candidates. Sat, Dec 20, 2014 11:11:00 AM

Depth Charts

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman ordered Tom Brady and Roger Goodell to appear in court for two conferences on Aug. 12 and 19.

Berman requested the two sides "engage in comprehensive, good-faith settlement discussions prior to the conference on August 12." Though the judge did not mention the NFL's and NFLPA's joint request to have the case resolved by Sept. 4, the immediacy of the conferences suggests a resolution could be handed down quickly. Hopefully this ridiculous episode will come to an end before the season begins.

Blount was placed on the active/NFI list to start training camp after failing his conditioning test. His appearance in practice on Saturday suggests he passed the second time around. Blount should dominate the Patriots' early-down work once he returns from suspension in Week 2.

It's possible this is only a day-to-day injury after LaFell donned a protective boot on his foot during OTA season. He shed the boot in July, so it's quite conceivable the Patriots are just easing LaFell in. The fact that LaFell is a prominent fantasy player makes his situation worth monitoring.